Women's chess has a strong tradition in Georgia, where brides are expected to know how to play and a chess set is a common wedding present. Since the end of the Soviet era the Georgian women's team has now won four Olympiads. In a close contest the Georgian team of Maia Chiburdanidze, Nana Dzagnidze, Lela Javakhishvili, Maia Lomineishvili and Sopkio Khukhashvili edged out the defending Ukrainians on tie-break after both scored 18 match points out a possible 22. Third, again on tie break ahead of Russia and early leaders Poland, were the USA, all finishing on 17 points.
The New Zealand women won their last two matches to finish on a good result - 62nd place from a seeding of 76th on 11 points, most notably a point ahead of the higher ranked Australian team. The team comprised WFM Helen Milligan, formerly of Scotland (board 1), WFM Sue Maroroa (2), Judy Gao (3), WCM Viv Smith (4) and WFM Natasha Fairley (5). Milligan, Gao and Fairley are the 2008 joint NZ Womens' Champions, while Maroroa is joint 2008 NZ Junior Champion (the first time a female has won). Combined with the vast experience of Smith's 10 NZ Women's titles and 13 Olympiad appearances this team was the strongest side New Zealand has fielded to date. Individually Milligan, Gao and Smith had the best results with Smith's 6½/9 enough to earn her the WFM title.
Although, she didn't start well, Sue Maroroa chimed in with two typically attacking wins in the final two rounds. Today's game is the first of those victories, with Sue playing White against Amira Abdulgader of Libya.
1. e4 c6 2. d4 d5 3. exd5 cxd5 4. Bd3 Nc6 5. c3 Nf6 6. h3 e6 7. Ne2!? ---
White has chosen a deceptively quiet response to the Caro-Kann, which aims to build up a kingside attack. Black's last move is quite passive so White hatches an original plan to exchange off a kingside defender, reserving f3 for her other knight. 7. --- h6 8. O-O Bd6 9. Ng3 Qc7 10. Nh5 Nxh5 11. Qxh5 Be7 12. f4! ---
Looking to lock down the central dark squares and slowly build up on the kingside. Black delays castling for this reason. 13. --- Bf6 13. Nd2 g6 14. Qe2 Qe7 15. Nf3 Bg7 16. Bd2 O-O?!
With no immediate White threat, 16 ... Bd7 and 17 ... 0-0-0 seems a good alternative. Then it would have been White who has to be careful about opening the kingside, but now White has a clear target. 17. Ne5 Nxe5?
Opening the f-file for White's attack and especially weakening the f6 square. White's buildup is simple and logical. 18. fxe5 Bd7 19. Rf3 Rac8 20. Raf1 Rc7 21. Qe1 Bc6 22. Qg3 a5 23. h4 h5?!
Black is tempted into further weakening of her dark-square defences. 24. Bg5 Qe8 25. R1f2! ---
Preserving the important light-squared bishop from exchange by 25 ...Bb5. Black has no way to prevent the invasion of f6. 25. --- Rc8 26. Qf4 Qd7 27. Bf6 b6 28. g4 ---
Missing a slightly more efficient win by 28 Rg3! Qe8 29 Bxg7 Kxg7 30 Qf6+ Kg8 31 Rg5! (31 Bxg6! also wins) and the threat of 32 Rxh5! gxh5 33 Rf3 and 34 Rg3 mating can't be prevented. But the attack is still unstoppable. 28 --- hxg4 29. Qxg4 Bxf6
Hastening the end – but 29 ... Bb5 30 Bxb5 Qxb5 31 h5 Qe8 32 Bxg7 Kxg7 33 hxg6 fxg6 (33 ... f5 34 exf6+) 34 Rxf8 Qxf8 35 Rxf8 is hopeless. 30. Rxf6 Kg7 31. Bxg6! fxg6 32. Qxg6+ Kh8 33. Rxf8+ Rxf8 34. Rxf8 mate
Georgians reassert strong female chess tradition
Problem: White to play and mate in three.
Women's chess has a strong tradition in Georgia, where brides are expected to know how to play and a chess set is a common wedding present. Since the end of the Soviet era the Georgian women's team has now won four Olympiads. In a close contest the Georgian team of Maia Chiburdanidze, Nana Dzagnidze, Lela Javakhishvili, Maia Lomineishvili and Sopkio Khukhashvili edged out the defending Ukrainians on tie-break after both scored 18 match points out a possible 22. Third, again on tie break ahead of Russia and early leaders Poland, were the USA, all finishing on 17 points.
The New Zealand women won their last two matches to finish on a good result - 62nd place from a seeding of 76th on 11 points, most notably a point ahead of the higher ranked Australian team. The team comprised WFM Helen Milligan, formerly of Scotland (board 1), WFM Sue Maroroa (2), Judy Gao (3), WCM Viv Smith (4) and WFM Natasha Fairley (5). Milligan, Gao and Fairley are the 2008 joint NZ Womens' Champions, while Maroroa is joint 2008 NZ Junior Champion (the first time a female has won). Combined with the vast experience of Smith's 10 NZ Women's titles and 13 Olympiad appearances this team was the strongest side New Zealand has fielded to date. Individually Milligan, Gao and Smith had the best results with Smith's 6½/9 enough to earn her the WFM title.
Although, she didn't start well, Sue Maroroa chimed in with two typically attacking wins in the final two rounds. Today's game is the first of those victories, with Sue playing White against Amira Abdulgader of Libya.
1. e4 c6
2. d4 d5
3. exd5 cxd5
4. Bd3 Nc6
5. c3 Nf6
6. h3 e6
7. Ne2!? ---
White has chosen a deceptively quiet response to the Caro-Kann, which aims to build up a kingside attack. Black's last move is quite passive so White hatches an original plan to exchange off a kingside defender, reserving f3 for her other knight.
7. --- h6
8. O-O Bd6
9. Ng3 Qc7
10. Nh5 Nxh5
11. Qxh5 Be7
12. f4! ---
Looking to lock down the central dark squares and slowly build up on the kingside. Black delays castling for this reason.
13. --- Bf6
13. Nd2 g6
14. Qe2 Qe7
15. Nf3 Bg7
16. Bd2 O-O?!
With no immediate White threat, 16 ... Bd7 and 17 ... 0-0-0 seems a good alternative. Then it would have been White who has to be careful about opening the kingside, but now White has a clear target.
17. Ne5 Nxe5?
Opening the f-file for White's attack and especially weakening the f6 square. White's buildup is simple and logical.
18. fxe5 Bd7
19. Rf3 Rac8
20. Raf1 Rc7
21. Qe1 Bc6
22. Qg3 a5
23. h4 h5?!
Black is tempted into further weakening of her dark-square defences.
24. Bg5 Qe8
25. R1f2! ---
Preserving the important light-squared bishop from exchange by 25 ...Bb5. Black has no way to prevent the invasion of f6.
25. --- Rc8
26. Qf4 Qd7
27. Bf6 b6
28. g4 ---
Missing a slightly more efficient win by 28 Rg3! Qe8 29 Bxg7 Kxg7 30 Qf6+ Kg8 31 Rg5! (31 Bxg6! also wins) and the threat of 32 Rxh5! gxh5 33 Rf3 and 34 Rg3 mating can't be prevented. But the attack is still unstoppable.
28 --- hxg4
29. Qxg4 Bxf6
Hastening the end – but 29 ... Bb5 30 Bxb5 Qxb5 31 h5 Qe8 32 Bxg7 Kxg7 33 hxg6 fxg6 (33 ... f5 34 exf6+) 34 Rxf8 Qxf8 35 Rxf8 is hopeless.
30. Rxf6 Kg7
31. Bxg6! fxg6
32. Qxg6+ Kh8
33. Rxf8+ Rxf8
34. Rxf8 mate
1-0
Solution: 1 Qxd7+! Rxd7 2 Rc8+ Rd8 3 Bb5#.